Scrubbing-machine



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Shet 1.

J. S. HITGHOOGK. SGRUBBING MACHINE.

No. 530,689. Patented Dec. 11. 1894.

INVENTOR WWNESSES: 20% Qi Ww/c ATTORNEYS.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

( No Model.)

J. S. HITOHGOOK. SGRUBBING MACHINE.

No. 530,689. Patented-Dec. 11 1894.

WITN ESSES:

L- Y n ATTORNEYS.

m: norms PETEH$ co, Pnmcmmo.v WASHINGTON, n. c.

UNITED STATES I PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN s. HITCHCOCK, OF ONEIDA, NEW YORK.

SCRUBBlNG-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Iatent No. 530,689, dated December 11,1894.

Application filed January 4, 1594. Serial NO|4951578I (No model.)

substantially as in an ordinary carpet sweeper, and by different combinations performs the functions of a floor washer or scrubber,

as well as that of picking up the water and dirt and depositing it in a pan; in which a water tank is mounted above the brushin' such manner as to discharge water on to the floor in front of it; in which a receiving pan is arranged to receive the water and dirt picked up from the floor by the brush; in

which a gate is provided, adapted to close the discharge of the water, &c., intothe pan,

thereby retaining the water upon the fiQQIttOZ permit the brush to scrub it; in which a roller drier is detachably connected to the scrubber and washer, adapted to absorb the waterfrom i the floor, and deposit it in a receptacle cartition, being hinged at 2 to. the bottom of said ried by said roller. I

My invention consists in the several novel features of construction and operation hereinafter described and which are specifically set forth in the claims hereunto annexed.

It is constructed as follows, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1, is a side elevation of the machine, complete. tional elevation of the scrubber. Fig. 3, is a detail in elevation of one of the brush sections, detached. Fig. 4, is a detail of the bristle holder of each section, omitting the bristles. Fig. 5, is a side elevation of the drier, detached. Fig. 6, is a front elevation of the same. Fig. 7, is a vertical transverse section. Fig. 8, is a vertical longitudinal section of one end of the same. Fig. 9, isa front elevation of the pan within the cylinder upon which the felt is placed and broken away to show the mounting of the trunnions upon the Fig. 2, is a vertical-transverse sec-'5 ends of the pan, and also showing part of the handle yoke to which said trunnions are secured, to prevent said pan-from being rotated.

A- is thescrubber, the body of which is in two parts or chambers -a b-, the chamber -a being the brush chamber, while -b comprises awater-tank provided with a faucet h or other means to draw off the wateranddischarge it on to the floor in front of.the lower section. In the lower chamber the brush cis mounted upon a transverse shaft; dbeing the drive wheels; d', the drive gear, and -d" the pinion upon the brush shaft.

The brush consists of arms -e-- radiating from the shaft, cross-bars -e adj ustably connected to said arms by a slot and set screw connection substantially as shown, and grip bars e"- secured upon said cross bars by bolts, thebristles being gripped between said bars, and being adjustable upon said arms to take up wear, &c., by means of said slot and pin connection.

Upon the bottom h a partition -hissecured, anda suitable pan (5) 'is'placed in the chamber in front of said partition, to receive the water and other matter discharged from or thrown by the brush over said partition, 1 Y

A gate kextends across said lower partank, and any ordinaryi means are provided for swinging it,.to either open or close the.

throat between said apron and tank, such as a lever or arm.;.3 connected to the end of the gate adjacent to the hinge, and adapted to engage with the ratchet-bar ,-4? upon the endof the tank, to hold the gate open, and when released therefrom to drop'of its own gravity and close the throat and when closed to shut off and prevent the passage of the water from the brush into the pan, whereby most of said water is kept upon the floor and as the scrubber reciprocates the brush will scrub, scour and clean only, until the gate is re-opened. p

B- is the drier shown in Fig. l, as connected to the scrubber and in rear thereof by the bars -'-m-; and as also provided with a handle -m. Said handle is connected to the drier by means of the yoke --m", and

in its ends, the trunnions -n secured upon the ends of cylindrical pan pare secured, said pan being provided with a longitudinal concavity -pin its bottom, and with a longitudinal slot-way p"- in its top; and having a shaft mounted in the heads upon which the roller 0"- is mounted, in said slot-way, and another shaft upon which the roller r-- is mounted, lying partly in said concavity.

Wheels -s-arejournaled upon said trunnions, and s is a cylinder of felt or other suitable absorbent material, secured upon the rims of said wheels, inclosing and in contact with the rollers -rr'- and said pan being secured to the yoke through the trunnions, and said wheels being loose upon said trunnions, said pan cannot revolve.

A pressure roller -tis j'ournaled in bearings carried by said yoke m and bears against said absorbing cylinder, and by means of the set screws ---U- adjustably compresses it against the roller --7'- to expel the water taken up by the felt, inwardly into the pan.

In operation the felt'is rotated while the pan is stationary. The roller ris an idler, only operating to keep the cylinder true and straight upon the floor while the rollers r- -t are the squeezers.

When operated together the scrubber washes and slightly scrubs the floor, and the drier following takes up the water left by the brush, and thus the floor is left substantially dry, and when only a moderate quantity of water is used, the operation is very analogous to that of a sweeper, and no dust is or can be made, so that it is advantageous ofttimes to use the apparatus as a substitute for a broom, or any dry-sweeping apparatus. The drier can also be used separately to follow after the operation of scrubbing by hand with a brush or broom, to take up the water from the floor.

The capillary action of the felt cylinder, is very strong and fairly sucks the wateroif from the floor, so that very little is left behind.

A wire or cord --wcan be connected to the handle, and to the faucet in such manner as to open it when strain is applied to said wire, and to close itself, when the strain is removed, as in self closing faucets; so that the water can be supplied as may be desired.

At each side of the brush and contiguous thereto, and parallel, or substantially parallel to each other and extending from near the front of the body back to the rear of said brush, the flexible dams y are secured which bear against the floor and which serve to prevent the water from being forced,driven,

or thrown outward, and thus to retain it in front of the brush, particularly when the 'gate is closed and the water picked up by the brush is thrown onto said gate and the apron and thence runs back onto the floor again, all of which permits a great deal of scrubbing to be done with a small quantity of water.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a scrubber, a case and supporting wheels, a rotating brush driven in the reverse direction of the supporting wheels by the rotations thereof, a water tank above the brush and means to discharge water therefrom in front of the brush, an inclined partition in front of the brush, a throat between it and the top of the case, a pan in the case in front of said partition, adapted to receive the water centrifugally thrown from said brush, and a gate adapted to be swung to open or close the throat, in combination.

2. A drier, comprising wheels jonrnaled upon trunnions secured upon the ends of a pan, a stationary pan between said wheels a slot-Way in the top of the tank, a roller in said slot-way journaled in the ends of the tank, a cylinder of felt secu red to said wheels and inclosing and parallel to said tank, a stretching roller journaled upon the lower side of said tank and bearing upon the inner side of said felt, a yoke having its arms secured to said trunnions, and a roller journaled in said yoke, above said felt and adapted to compress it, as it rotates, against the roller in the top of said pan, in combination.

3. A drier comprisinga cylinder of absorbent material, circular rotatable heads upon which it is secured, a stationary pan within said cylinder, provided with stationary trunnions upon which said heads are journaled, a yoke secured to said trunnions, squeezing rollers between which said cylinder passes, journaled in said yoke and in a slotway in said pan, and a stretching roller journaled in the lower side of said pan and engaging with said cylinder, in combination.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 29th day of December, 1893.

JNO. S. HITCHGOGK.

In presence of C. W. SMITH, HOWARD P. DENISON. 

